


Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

by TheSopherfly



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Car Chases, F/F, Femme Force, Fist Fights, Girls with Guns, Las Vegas, Past Relationship(s), Reconciliation, SHIELD, Shooting Guns, shootout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 05:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15164063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSopherfly/pseuds/TheSopherfly
Summary: Sharon reached back into the tote bag, pulling out a pale blue jean jacket and a sweatshirt with ‘kiss kiss’ bedazzled on the front in rhinestones. “You’re wearing this one,” Sharon said, shoving the sweatshirt in Maria’s direction.“I don’t think so,” Maria said in protest. “My gun fits under my uniform. Yours doesn’t.”“So you’re saying the only way I can conceal my weapon is to wearthat?”Maria grinned. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”~A road trip, a car chase, a shootout, a kiss. Sharon and Maria complete a SHIELD covert operation, and things get a little complicated.





	Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

**Author's Note:**

  * For [talkplaylove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkplaylove/gifts).



> A/N: My collaboration with the lovely [talkplaylove](http://talkplaylove.tumblr.com/) for the Captain America Reverse Big Bang! Art is embedded in the fic, but you can also see all the wonderful art [here](http://talkplaylove.tumblr.com/tagged/bang-bang).
> 
> Rated for some language, canon-typical violence, and references to past sexual situations. This story is about badass women being badass, with a little bit of romance/reconciliation sprinkled in. Thanks so much to [folklejend](https://folklejend.tumblr.com/) for beta reading!

 

Sharon Carter’s prep for a mission had become a little too methodical.

There were protocols to follow, of course. SHIELD had its own checklist for any agent going into the field, though that checklist was fairly basic. Weapons, ammo, gear, communications, transport. Nothing any self-respecting agent couldn’t remember on their own. Sharon’s checklist was lengthy by comparison - even if SHIELD didn’t care how many boxes of ammo she packed, she calculated the number of presumed shots to the nearest box, then added one for safety. There wasn’t an item on her list that hadn’t gone through rigorous mental calculations and pro-con lists before being chosen. The car, the guns, the holster. At the end of the day, it wasn’t just about SHIELD’s bottom line. It was about finishing the job as efficiently as possible, with no unnecessary effort expended.

She hadn’t always been like this, so laser-focused on results. She’d been about guts and gumption, about fighting for justice, just like Aunt Peggy. Half of that had been childhood idolization, but the rest had pushed her to be faster and stronger and quicker. As it turned out, all that unadulterated effort had moved her up the ladder at SHIELD much faster than she could’ve predicted.

Sharon had Maria Hill to thank for this new ‘by the book’ philosophy. Maria had had good intentions in teaching Sharon to be thoughtful and practical, Sharon would give her that. Then again, she’d had good intentions when she’d broken off their relationship, too. From where Sharon was standing, all of Maria’s good intentions had gotten her absolutely nowhere.

Sharon cast those very unwelcome memories aside as she zipped her mission bag and dropped it into the trunk of the silver Audi A3. She’d chosen the six-cylinder for muscle and speed. For this particular mission, getting away in a hurry was more important than making tight turns. Black market arms dealers tended to shoot first and ask questions later. On top of that, the roads near the Las Vegas strip were so wide, maneuverability wouldn’t be a problem.

Sharon holstered her gun, shaking her head to loosen the tension in her neck as the glock clicked into place. She heard the click of the door opening a few seconds later, and she slammed the trunk with more force than was strictly necessary, looking up.

_Speak of the devil._

“Hi,” Sharon said, the word surprising her as it slipped out of her mouth. At least it had sounded casual enough. No hurt feelings here, no siree.

“Hi, Maria replied, as well composed as ever.

She wore a dark, skintight suit that Sharon refused to allow to distract her, no matter how good it looked. Her hair, pulled back into a bun, had been sprayed to within an inch of its life. That was Maria, ever practical, not a hair out of place. She carried a mission bag over her shoulder, Sharon could tell by the way her weight was displaced as she walked.

_Whatever mission she’s going on,_ Sharon thought mutinously, _it had better not be this one._

“What’re you doing here?” Sharon asked as Maria approached.

“Your partner was reassigned.”

Sharon knew better than to take that curt tone personally. That was how Maria talked - straight to the point, no exceptions.

“Really,” Sharon deadpanned. She couldn’t help but feel suspicious. Maria had the power to reassign just about anyone, although Sharon wondered whether or not there was sufficient motive. Maria liked missions that were higher profile. For the past year, Maria had worked almost exclusively with the Avengers while Sharon had stayed squarely behind the scenes. It was one of the reasons their relationship hadn’t lasted. There was no earthly reason Maria would want this mission, except maybe to torture her.

“You do know what this assignment is, right? Intercepting an arms deal. Seems a little low brow for you.” Sharon had finally learned not to be shy about voicing her own opinions; Maria wasn’t the only one who could be blunt. And anyway, if her goal was keeping Maria from tagging along, a little bluntness couldn’t hurt.

“I know.”

That didn’t give Sharon anything to work with. _Predictable._ “You’re telling me you were the only agent available?”

“The only one who was adequately qualified.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

Maria raised her eyebrows. “You think I’m lying?”

“I think you benched my partner so you could come along.” Was that too far? Inappropriate? Sharon wasn’t sure she cared.

“I didn’t bench your partner,” Maria replied, popping open the trunk and dropping her bag next to Sharon’s. “There _may_ have been others who were adequately qualified.”

Sharon blinked. Was that… A concession? That was new. “I take it I can’t request one of them.”

“The paperwork would take you ages. Since this assignment is time sensitive, I’d advise against it.”

Sharon laughed to herself, rolling her eyes. This wasn’t a joke. This was really happening. She was going on a SHIELD-sanctioned mission with her ex. And to think she’d actually been excited.

“Okay then,” Sharon said slowly, crossing her arms. That was as much acceptance as she was willing to offer.

Maria dug through her bag and pulled out a blue tote, opening the rear left door and tossing it into the backseat. She closed the door, then closed the trunk, finally returning her attention to Sharon.

“Ready to go?” Sharon asked, trying not to sound peeved.

Maria nodded. “I’m driving,” she said, holding out her hand, palm open.

_Oh my god,_ Sharon thought. Did Maria really expect her to just hand over the keys? Was that all Sharon was, some automaton who blindly followed orders? “I don’t think so.”

“I’m the better driver.”

Sharon laughed, one short, aborted sound that was closer to a cough. “You didn’t recheck my file, did you?”

Maria’s expression made it clear that she’d neglected that particular piece of protocol. Of course. All of Sharon’s extra training had flown completely under Maria’s radar. Not that Sharon had advertised it - she’d been too busy keeping her nose to the grindstone to pass her personal successes up the chain.

Sharon had spent the months since the breakup perfecting her aim with a handgun and earning her SHIELD advanced driving certification, which authorized her to drive any SHIELD vehicle up to a hundred and twenty miles per hour. Sharon could drive faster - she’d requisitioned to practice on a private race car track, just to test the theory. If Tony Stark could do it, why couldn’t she?

On top of handguns and vehicles, Sharon had renewed her pilot’s license and trained as a sniper. She didn’t particularly like sniping - she preferred to be closer to the action - but more training made her more versatile. The fact that it completely distracted her from a devastating breakup was just a fringe benefit.

“My results are better than yours.” Sharon smiled, feeling just a little vindicated. “Check if you want. But I’m driving.”

Maria looked like she was about to argue, then thought better of it. She slid into the passenger’s seat, not saying anything as Sharon pulled the car out of the SHIELD garage and drove toward the nearest freeway entrance.

They’d been on a mission like this before. It had felt more like a road trip, all smiles and nervous energy and not so covert looks. This felt like the opposite, trapped in a car with nothing to say, the uncomfortable reminder of better days hanging between them.

From SHIELD’s West Coast facility just outside of Los Angeles, it would be a four-hour drive. Sharon figured she could cut that down to three. State troopers and local police worked with SHIELD to keep agents from being stopped in the middle of a job for traffic violations, which meant that Sharon could go as fast as she wanted, within reason. Eighty an hour, maybe eighty-five, would shave enough time off of their trip to put them into town right at sunset.

They spent the first thirty miles of the drive in silence, not even playing music on the radio. The quiet wasn’t as oppressive as it was tense. There were things Sharon wanted to say, but she knew better than to argue with a partner during a mission, especially in an enclosed space with no exit for miles and miles.

Her plan to keep her mouth shut was thwarted when Maria asked, “Did you write this brief?” She was staring down at her Starkpad, reading through what must have been the mission-specific confidential material.

“Yeah,” Sharon said. “I’ve written a few. ‘Only way to make sure you’re the one leading,’ right?”

That phrase came verbatim from a post-coital conversation. Sharon glanced sideways at Maria, wondering if she remembered.

“It’s good.” Maria said it matter of factly. If she recalled the conversation in question, she didn’t let on. “You really think they’re smuggling alien tech?”

“I think it’s a distinct possibility. Especially given where our seller has been seen over the last few months.”

Silence fell again; around the hundredth mile, Sharon gave up pretending not to be unnerved by the quiet and switched the radio on. The first channel was classical music, and Sharon made a disgusted sound in her throat. Classical was Maria’s favorite, not hers. The next station was pop, and while Sharon didn’t hate that, it didn’t get her into the mood for a mission. She flipped stations until she found one on SIRIUS XM dedicated solely to eighties music, then cranked the volume.

Sharon didn’t take her eyes off the road, but could’ve sworn Maria was crinkling her nose when she said, “I don’t know how you listen to this for more than five minutes at a time.”

Sharon did her best not to look amused at Maria’s discomfort. “My mission, my music.”

Maria made a production of sighing, not saying anything more. Sharon had a sneaking suspicion that Maria didn’t hate eighties music as much as she pretended to, and that she rejected the era more on principle than anything else.

The drive took them from forest to desert, and before they knew it, they had crossed the state border into Nevada. Three and a half hours into the trip, they could see lights in the distance, the strip illuminated even from far off.

Las Vegas. Sharon couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen anything so… excessive. The enormous neon signs, the fake landmarks, the overlarge streets and sidewalks. She’d been here before, just once, for a bachelorette party for a childhood friend. It was different than she remembered, but that wasn’t exactly a surprise. The last time she’d been here, she hadn’t been an agent of SHIELD. All she saw now were the logistics. In the darkness, it would be harder to tail anyone that ran. In any one of the big casinos, it might be difficult to place their targets. It was a good thing they had the surveillance wired, thanks to their remote partners at SHIELD headquarters.

Their drive down the strip was tedious, the traffic congested. They’d arrived at prime time, an hour before most shows were slated to start. The late risers would have just gotten themselves presentable enough to hit the slots, and it was a Saturday, which made traffic worse all around.

At least it afforded them a view. The Bellagio fountains, Caesars Palace, the small scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. Sharon imagined briefly that she and Maria were on a honeymoon instead of a mission. What would that have been like? A penthouse suite hotel room, tickets to Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion, or maybe Britney Spears. A limo with a skylight. Drinks until dawn. Sex in the hotel’s enormous bathtub.

Sharon made a sour face, distaste and desire warring in her mind. It was all so cliched, and yet some stupid part of her still wanted it. She rolled her eyes at herself. No use dreaming about the impossible. Frugal as Maria was, she never would’ve sprung for the penthouse, anyway.

Sharon glanced briefly over at Maria, just long enough to wish she could keep looking. “Does HQ have ideas on our target’s location?”

“Planet Hollywood,” Maria said, scanning through the data on her Starkpad. “Facial recognition has our seller arriving twenty minutes ago.”

“Alright. Planet Hollywood it is.”

Sharon parked the car on the lower level, near the front entrance. SHIELD gave its agents a discretionary fund for things like prime parking, when it was vital to a mission. Sharon chose a space with easy access to the garage exit, then killed the engine and tucked the keys into her pocket.

She and Maria were both wearing combat gear - that wouldn’t stick out quite like a sore thumb in Vegas, but it wasn’t low profile, either. “We’re going to need to change,” Sharon said.

“I packed jackets. Backseat.”

Sharon reached back into the tote bag, pulling out a pale blue jean jacket and a sweatshirt with ‘kiss kiss’ bedazzled on the front in rhinestones. “You’re wearing this one,” Sharon said, shoving the sweatshirt in Maria’s direction.

“I don’t think so,” Maria said in protest. “My gun fits under my uniform. Yours doesn’t.”

“So you’re saying the only way I can conceal my weapon is to wear that?”

Maria grinned. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

If only looks could kill, Sharon thought, tossing the jean jacket at Maria and begrudgingly slipping her arms into the sweatshirt. It was comfortable, at least, and Maria was right, it had pockets on the inside where she could conceal her weapons. One for the glock, one for the knife, and still plenty of room for the tokens she’d packed so they could do a little betting while they waited for the seller to arrive.

Maria smirked as Sharon passed her some tokens and slammed the trunk. “That looks good on you.”

Sharon gave Maria the finger. “Come on,” she said, pulling her hair out of the sweatshirt's hood so that it fell over one shoulder. “Let’s go.”

~

Maria entered the hotel first, Sharon close on her heels. The automatic doors slid open into the basement lobby, and they crossed the tile floor toward the escalator with quick steps, Sharon checking their six every few seconds. Nothing out of the ordinary yet.

“Surveillance?” Sharon asked, a whisper in Maria’s ear as they boarded the escalator.

“We’ve got our guys tapped in,” Maria said. “Soon as they see the second target, they’ll let us know.”

The escalator ended, depositing them right in the center of the casino floor. Not exactly subtle, but with so many other guests to cover them, they weren’t likely to get noticed.

“You take left, I’ll take right,” Maria said.

Sharon pursed her lips. “I thought this was my mission.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.”

Sharon nodded. “You take left, I’ll take right.”

Maria split off, headed toward the left side of the floor, and Sharon stayed put, taking stock. She didn’t quite understand the casino’s carpeted floor; it made everything look cheaper, and the pattern was enough to make a sober person dizzy.

She tore her attention from the floor, tracking each person in her view. Three women in skintight dresses at the blackjack table. An older man wearing a Hawaiian shirt, playing the slots. Big burly men, all wearing the same suits. There were too many to know which ones were hostiles and which ones weren’t, and she hadn’t yet spotted their target.

“I’ve got eyes on the seller,” came Maria’s voice into her earpiece. “He’s got quite the entourage.”

“Suits, no ties?”

“Yep. Looks like we have a house party on our hands.”

Sharon moved discreetly toward the tables, passing between machines as she went. She counted the number of suits in her head. Three, six, nine, twelve. Plus their seller; Sharon had finally found a good enough vantage point to get a visual.

“Not subtle, is he?” Sharon said.

“No. I’m sure he thinks so much muscle will deter anyone who’d want to try.”

Sharon approached the craps table, putting on her best ditzy blonde face.

“Hi,” she said to big burly man number one, her eyes flicking up just once to glance across the room at their target. “I’ve never played this before. Can you show me?”

Sharon was always baffled at how easy it was to trick a man with a thin voice and an innocent smile. What she liked to call the “help me” act worked every time.

“Sure, sweetheart,” the man said.

Sharon gagged internally, but fixed him with a sweet smile. “Thank you. I let my friend convince me to come here and now I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Careful,” Maria said in her ear. “They’re armed.”

Sharon nodded once, figuring Maria probably had eyes on her.

It took twenty minutes of pretending to play, allowing the man to touch her arm and a strand of her hair, before the second target walked through the door.

“Much more subtle.” Maria’s voice was a whisper, probably because she was trailing close. “Standby. I think they’re about to make first contact.”

Sharon couldn’t help but feel that she and Maria were playing the wrong parts. Maria should’ve been standing guard at the table while Sharon kept tabs on the targets. This was Sharon’s mission, after all. Unfortunately, Sharon was a much better actor than Maria was. That meant Sharon was out of play, a distraction, waiting to pull her chips and disappear as soon as Maria needed backup.

“First contact made,” Maria said. “Near the blackjack table. Buyer seems skittish. Standby. Prepare to engage.”

Sharon braced herself, ready to sprint. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt, feeling the outlines of her weapons through the fabric. The man looked down at her, and she smiled coyly, one hand sliding out of her pocket to play with her hair.

She waited. Twenty seconds. Thirty. One minute. Two. “What the hell is going on?” she whispered fiercely through clenched teeth.

“Abort,” Maria said, and Sharon could’ve killed her. That wasn’t enough information. What on god’s green earth was happening? Why did they have to abort?

“Excuse me,” the man said, almost as if reading her mind. “We’ve got to be going.” He indicated his chips on the table with a brief nod of his head. “Those are yours, if you want them.”

The _nerve_. She didn’t need his charity - but she wasn’t about to leave the chips on the table, either. She picked them up, watching him leave, the rest of his posse following suit.

“What _happened_?” Sharon demanded, finger pressed to her earpiece. “First it was go, go, go, and now they’re all leaving?”

“Buyer got cold feet,” Maria said, clearly giving Sharon the update while simultaneously reporting back to HQ. “Our target is headed out of town.”

Sharon breathed out on a curse. She dragged a hand through her hair, pulling it back into a low ponytail and straightening her hoodie. “Well. What’re we waiting for? Let’s go catch him.”

Sharon led the way back down to the Planet Hollywood garage, not breaking into a full sprint until they reached the stairs to the lower level. Maria was faster on the stairs, but Sharon reached the car first, unlocking it and jumping inside, the engine already humming by the time Maria opened her door.

“Buckle up,” Sharon said, more a warning than an order.

Maria did as she was told, and Sharon gunned the engine and pealed out of the parking lot, the tires squealing on the pavement as they went.

Sharon hadn’t planned on a high-speed chase down the Las Vegas strip - except maybe she had. She revved the engine again, silently thanking her past self for predicting this scenario. They had the target in their sights: two enormous SUVs, all black, high tailing it toward the end of the strip.

The Audi’s engine roared, the shift in gears taking just a split second before their speed jumped from sixty up to seventy, then eighty. Sharon swerved in and out of traffic to follow the two car caravan out of town, leaving the lights of the strip behind them as they crossed into the darkness of the desert.

They gained on the black SUVs until there was barely a foot of space between the front of their Audi and one big black bumper. They were going eighty-five now. Sharon pushed it up to ninety - things didn’t start to get weird until over a hundred - and swerved into the left lane, pulling even with the first SUV.

“Damn,” Maria said. “You’re not playing around, are you?”

“Never am,” Sharon replied, barely wincing when the first rounds hit the bulletproof glass of the passenger window. “I want to catch the first one. Shoot out their tires, left front and back.”

Maria reached down and grabbed her pistol, thumbing the safety off. “I can do that.”

“Alright. Ready?”

Maria nodded, and Sharon revved the engine again, pulling ahead just far enough to avoid enemy fire through the front windows. Maria pressed the window control, aimed, and fired.

The front tire blew and the vehicle skidded, pulling sideways as Maria fired the second shot. Sharon could tell before it stopped moving that the SUV was going to roll, and it fell first onto its side, then flipped completely upside down. Sharon laid on the brakes, hard, the antilock jerking as they rolled into the shoulder.

The second SUV just barely missed careening into the first, braking and turning, slamming into the crashed vehicle with its back left corner. There was the sound of glass shattering and metal crunching, and Maria was out of the car before Sharon could even put it in park.

“Maria!” Sharon cursed, turning off the car and hopping out as fast as she could, pulling her glock out of her pocket. Maria had taken shelter behind the car, back against the fender, gun poised at the ready. Rounds exploded against the car in quick succession, the tinny sound echoing loud in Sharon’s ears.

Maria popped up to shoot first in the brief quiet, firing twice. A yowl of pain, and the thud of a body dropping to the ground. One down. Sharon wasn’t sure how many more to go. Another volley, this one longer. Sharon took the opportunity this time, nailing their attacker with a single headshot.

“Shit,” Maria breathed. “Nice shooting.”

“I’ve been practicing.”

_Bang, bang, bang!_ Shots from a handgun, ricocheting off the mirror. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” came a low voice.

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Is this guy for real?” She pressed herself up against the side of the car, ears straining.

_Bang! Bang!_

The man appeared near the trunk of the Audi, and Maria reacted quicker than Sharon had thought possible, two shots straight to the chest.

_Idiot._ Should’ve been wearing Kevlar. Of course, Sharon wasn’t wearing Kevlar either, but her suit was bulletproof, SHIELD standard issue. That didn’t mean a bullet wouldn’t pierce. Nothing was infallible, especially at such close range with semi-automatics.

More shots pounded into the Audi, and Sharon felt sorry for all the repairs SHIELD would have to make after this mission. She was lucky damages didn’t come out of her pay. She listened to the shots, concentrating hard. Each volley had a gap of the same amount of time, enough seconds to reload. After five more volleys, the shots stopped, the silence abrupt and deafening.

“They’re out of ammo,” Sharon said in stunned realization.

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.” She had been counting. She knew how many rounds those guns held, and she knew how little time it took to reload. If those men had had more ammo, they would’ve been shooting already. “I’m going out. You flank them and get that weapon.”

Maria took a breath like she was about to argue, then sighed, exasperated. “Okay. Fine.”

Sharon turned, creeping back toward the front of the car.

“Sharon. Wait.”

Sharon turned her head to find Maria right behind her. Without preamble, Maria leaned in and kissed her square on the mouth. Sharon had thought that sort of thing only happened in movies, but here she was, about to charge into a fistfight, being kissed by the love of her life just in case she didn’t make it back. Sharon leaned into it, eyebrows drawing up and together, her whole body singing even when Maria pulled away.

“Be careful,” Maria said, a hand resting on Sharon’s arm.

Sharon nodded, her face flushed, her breath stolen. “You too.”

Sharon stood up, stepping around the front of the car. None of the men had shown themselves yet, and she looked around, then crossed her arms in mock surprise. “Gee. And here I thought you told us to come out.”

That got a rise - one of the suits burst out from behind the SUV, barreling toward Sharon full force. Sharon stepped out of the way just in time, dropping to the ground and kicking the man’s legs out from under him. He went down hard on his knees, catching himself with his hands as Sharon stood, jumping on his back before he could get vertical. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a chokehold, gripping tight even as he tried to stand. Five seconds. Ten. Twenty. Sharon released him as he went down, unconscious.

The second man took her by surprise, kicking her knees out from behind and punching her square in the cheek as she fell. She dove forward, arms around his legs, trying to topple him, and he reached down and grabbed her by the arm, hauling her upward. _Shit._ Sharon could’ve sworn she felt the muscle tear, her shoulder pulling painfully in its socket. She brought the heel of her free hand up and jammed it into his nose, feeling and hearing the sickening crack of cartilage breaking. The man released her, stumbling back. A well placed kick to his jaw, and he dropped. Lights out.

She could hear Maria fighting with the third man, breath heavy over the comms. Sharon scrambled to find her balance, jogging to the back of the upright SUV and jumping into the fray, her knuckles colliding painfully with the man’s jaw. This man was better than the others, smaller and quicker, and Sharon recognized him as their original target. She had to respect him a little for being better trained in combat than his entourage - then again, it wasn’t a smart move, hiring bodyguards that couldn’t protect their heads and necks worth a damn.

Somehow this man got hold of Sharon’s hair and tugged, yanking her head back. She gasped, bending at the knees and trying to pull free. It was Maria who broke the man’s grip, both arms driving down into the weak part of his elbow. His fingers opened, and Sharon pulled away just far enough to reach for his head, slamming it down hard on the top of her thigh. He stumbled, first forward, then backward, and then Maria’s hand palmed the back of his skull, shoving it into the unforgiving metal siding of the SUV. The man went down, sliding down the side of the car, smearing blood as he dropped, unconscious, to the ground.

Sharon rested her hands on her hips, breathing hard, her whole body buzzing with adrenaline.

Maria opened the trunk of the SUV to reveal the padded black case containing their weapon.

“Got the payload,” Maria said. “Let’s call it in.”

~

Sharon could feel a bruise forming under her left eye. She was still breathing hard, her ears ringing, her knuckles throbbing where they’d collided with the last man’s jaw. Her shoulder had stopped bothering her, but that didn’t mean anything. It was probably too swollen to be painful. She was sure that wouldn’t be the case later on.

As the police tucked the remaining men into squad cars - Sharon was unendingly amused that three of them were crammed into a single vehicle - she let out a breath, relieved.

“You okay?” Maria asked, stepping up behind her.

Sharon didn’t have the energy to argue with the familiar, steadying hand Maria had placed on the small of her back. “Yeah. Just - adrenaline.”

That explanation seemed to satisfy Maria, and they watched the squad cars drive away, the flashing lights bright against the darkness.

“SHIELD transferred funds for a hotel,” Maria said. “Apparently they want us rested for the drive home.”

“That’s… Not a bad idea,” Sharon admitted. She was tired. Everything hurt, even if she wasn’t about to say so.

Out of sheer convenience, they ended up back at the Planet Hollywood hotel. Their room might not have been a penthouse suite, but it was surprisingly spacious, with two queen beds, an enormous jetted bathtub, and a beautifully tiled waterfall shower. Sharon dropped her bag down at the foot of one of the beds, then unzipped her sweatshirt, tossing it onto the comforter. It had been comfortable, gaudy as it was. She didn’t plan to give it back or throw it out.

Maria elected to shower first, and Sharon busied herself taking down notes for the mission report, putting a mindless television show on in the background with the volume muted. That was one of Sharon’s vices - more action around her made it easier to focus.

“Well. That was messier than we wanted.” Maria emerged from the bathroom in one of the hotel’s terry cloth robes, her feet tucked into a pair of soft slippers. Her hair was still wet, and she toweled it as she walked, the curls becoming more pronounced. Sharon smiled to herself. Few people knew that Maria straightened her hair every day. Even fewer had seen the curly locks in person.

“Hey. At least we kept civilians out of the crossfire.” Sharon pulled her own hair back into a loose bun at the base of her neck, wincing as she lowered her shoulder. Crap. That was going to hurt tomorrow.

“You’re injured,” Maria said.

Sharon ducked her head, looking away. “It’s nothing.”

“You still aren’t any less stubborn, are you?”

Sharon didn’t argue when Maria rifled through the duffel bag on the desk to find an instant cold pack. She cracked it on her knee before placing it gently on Sharon’s shoulder, holding it in place.

“There?” Maria asked.

“Yeah,” Sharon replied, a little reluctant. She didn’t like admitting she needed help, especially to Maria.

“Did you dislocate it?”

“No. Just over stretched.”

Maria hummed in understanding, not moving away, keeping her bare hand pressed against the ice pack.

“You don’t have to keep holding it, you know. Unless you _want_ your hand to freeze.”

“I’ll live,” Maria said. “Just need to make sure you take care of yourself.”

“Maria,” Sharon warned. “That’s not your job anymore.”

“What if I want it to be?” Maria moved her free hand to Sharon’s face, fingertips tracing the side of Sharon’s cheek.

Sharon remembered that feather-light touch, hesitant at first, then bolder with permission. She almost closed her eyes to the sensation, then blinked, remembering exactly where this kind of fraternization had gotten them last time. _Nowhere,_ she thought to herself.

This wasn’t right. This wasn’t supposed to be some intimate moment. This was time for them to clean up and rest so they could drive back to headquarters in the morning. Intimacy wasn’t on the checklist.

Sharon bit her lip. It would’ve been so easy to give in. Maria’s touch was like nothing she had ever felt, even if it evoked as much bitterness as it did remembered pleasure. But this wasn’t the right time or the right place. They hadn’t debriefed. They were still on the job, and Sharon couldn’t be sure that this wasn’t just the aftermath of a successful mission’s worth of adrenaline dumped into both of their systems.

“I don’t want to talk about this now.” Sharon met Maria’s eyes, trying to apologize without explaining any more than she had to.

_It’s not that I don’t want it. It’s just that… I’ve been burned before._

Maria nodded. “I understand.” She drew her hand away, and Sharon missed the contact as soon as it was gone.

Sharon closed her eyes, focusing on relaxing, breathing into the pain in her shoulder to release as much tension as she could. Maria didn’t falter, not until they’d spent ten minutes in silence and the cold pack had grown too warm to use.

“Thanks,” Sharon said, opening her eyes and smiling gratefully.

“You’re welcome.” Maria took the ice pack and threw it into one of the small trash bins, and Sharon stood up, rolling her shoulders to test the muscles.

“I miss seeing your hair like this,” Sharon said, not quite sure why she hadn’t been able to keep the thought inside her head. “I like it short.”

Maria ran a hand through the still damp curls as if testing their length. “I’m still not sure.”

“Please. You look good no matter what you do. It’s offensive to those of us who try.”

Surprisingly, Maria didn’t take that bait, not in the way Sharon expected. “You look good too,” Maria said.

Sharon blinked, then looked away, self-conscious. “Uh… I’m going to go take a shower.”

She pulled her pajama clothes out of her bag, then padded slowly toward the bathroom, wishing for a split second that she’d invited Maria to join her.

~

The drive back to West Coast HQ in the cold hours of the morning was quiet but comfortable. SHIELD had provided a new car, one that wasn’t riddled with bullet holes. There was none of the earlier tension between them - only exhaustion, and maybe a little sadness. Sharon imagined that was on both sides.

Halfway through the drive, Sharon switched to the Mozart station; Maria looked at her for a long time, but didn’t say anything.

“Do you remember Femme Force?” Maria asked a while later.

Now _that_ was a trip down memory lane. Femme Force was a female-only squad that Sharon had dreamed up, something Sharon and Maria had talked about together while imagining the future of SHIELD.

“Yeah. I do.”

“This mission would be a great example to use in a proposal,” Maria said. It sounded offhand, but Sharon couldn’t help but feel the underlying suggestion.

“You think?”

In her periphery, she saw Maria shrug. “Maybe. It’d be worth a shot.”

As soon as they returned to HQ, they parted ways with a murmured “Thank you” and “Goodbye.” Maria drafted her portion of the mission report independently, sending it to Sharon through the internal server so Sharon could compile the final document.

Sharon read through Maria’s report, frowning her confusion. There was nothing in here about the kiss. It was obviously Maria’s writing, bare bones and matter of fact, but with one crucial piece missing. Sharon wondered if she ought to add that part in, or if she should omit it, too. In the end, she decided to leave it out, deeming it, from SHIELD’s perspective, inconsequential.

Sharon didn’t hear any more on the subject until a few days later, when she received Fury’s response to her report. She had to read Fury’s message a few times before the words truly sunk in.

_Good work, Agent 13. Your request has been approved._

Fury had never been one to mince words. His one word replies were legendary, and Sharon had been on the receiving end of a fair few. For Fury, this - two whole sentences - was the highest praise an agent usually got.

Sharon hadn’t wanted to submit the request for Femme Force at first, not when it had been such a thinly veiled suggestion. She couldn’t let Maria make all of her decisions for her; Maria’s influence in her life was already too strong.

Upon further reflection, Sharon had realized Femme Force was bigger than her failed relationship with Maria. It was an initiative. It had the potential to impact every woman at SHIELD. Not submitting the proposal when she had such clear positive proof would’ve been a disservice to her fellow agents.

She set the Starkpad down, debating with herself whether or not she wanted to tell Maria. Of course, Maria would find out eventually either way. And it had been their idea, not just Sharon’s, although Sharon had been the one to submit the official request.

Sharon sighed. They hadn’t talked about any of it. The mission, the kiss, their moment at the hotel. It had all been swept under the rug. They had gone their separate ways, and even though it had only been a few days since their mission, it felt like years, the lack of resolution making Sharon’s head spin in conflicted circles. Maybe going to see Maria was for the best. Sharon could give the news and tie up the loose ends before they got any more tangled up.

The walk across the lobby to Maria’s east wing office went by quickly. Sharon didn’t prescribe to the theory of highway hypnosis, although she assumed that was because she always paid too much attention to zone in and out the way some people did. Today was different. Today, she arrived at the door to Maria’s office barely remembering how she’d gotten there. _Preoccupied_ , she thought. _Nervous_. Both were fair explanations for her moment of hesitation before knocking on the door.

“Come in,” Maria called.

Sharon entered, pulling the door shut behind her, her heart fluttering even though Maria hadn’t yet acknowledged her. “Well,” Sharon said, leaning casually against the door frame. “I just delivered the report.”

Maria looked up, a pen loose between her fingers, eyebrows arched in controlled curiosity. “And?”

“And,” Sharon said, pausing to draw out the suspense and giving herself away with a smile. “Femme Force is approved.”

Maria’s eyes lit, and even though she barely smiled, Sharon knew they both felt equally triumphant. It wasn’t that SHIELD didn’t treat women well - but an all-female squad was something new. A step in the right direction. Something Aunt Peggy would’ve been proud of.

“Congratulations.”

“Hey, you helped,” Sharon replied. “If it weren’t for your training way back when, I never would’ve made it through all that paperwork.”

That made Maria laugh, which was a rare thing. Her expression grew more serious, and after a thoughtful moment she stood up, setting the pen down in the center of the desk. “Sharon. Can we talk about-”

“Look, I don’t need an explanation, okay?” Sharon knew exactly where Maria was going. Yes, they had kissed. Yes, it had been incredible. But she wasn’t ready to talk about it, not if it would mean another rejection. “It was the heat of the moment. We weren’t thinking.”

“I was.”

Maria crossed slowly in front of the desk, searching Sharon’s face. Gauging her reaction, Sharon was sure. Maria could read her better than anyone, no matter how hard Sharon tried to look unaffected. There must have been something there, something that made Maria keep moving toward her, slow and steady and controlled. What Maria had seen, Sharon couldn’t have guessed; too many warring emotions to know which one had given her away.

“I was thinking,” Maria continued, now standing uncomfortably close, “we should give this another shot.”

That… Wasn’t what Sharon had expected. Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips. “What happened to work coming first?”

“I think we can find a balance. If you’re interested.”

It was a question without being posed as one, an easy exit if Sharon wanted to say no. Never mind that Maria should’ve known by now how Sharon felt. She wanted Maria, but only if it was going to be serious. Real. From what Sharon could tell, that was exactly what Maria was proposing. She leaned back against the door, sighing her surrender. “You know I am.”

That was all the encouragement Maria needed. She closed the distance as she always did, slowly, deliberately, her lips meeting Sharon’s like she was asking for permission.

_Always by-the-book._ It drove Sharon crazy and made her weak all at once. She lifted her hands to rest on Maria’s shoulders, grounding herself as she returned the kiss with uncurbed enthusiasm. She lost herself in Maria’s familiar taste and welcoming warmth, making a small, surprised noise when Maria’s hands tangled into her hair.

Lips on lips became open mouths and dancing tongues, making heat coil in the pit of Sharon’s stomach. Teeth dragged over Sharon’s lower lip, and Sharon’s hands strayed from Maria’s shoulders, sweeping briefly over her breasts before sliding down to cup Maria’s ass. Sharon knew that would get a rise - Maria pulled away, lips swollen and red, pupils blown dark.

“Let’s go somewhere,” Maria said, low and breathless.

Sharon bit her lip. “I’m on the clock,” she said, moving her hands forward to catch her fingers on the belt loops of Maria’s dark jeans. “But I get off at four.”

Maria looked like she was considering whether being on the clock was enough to stop them from leaving. “Alright then,” she said finally. “It’s a date.”

“It’s a date,” Sharon said, tilting her head to seal the agreement with a kiss.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Stop by my [tumblr](https://sopherfly.tumblr.com/) to see what I'm working on, or just to say hi. :)


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